Book III: Lithium
by Patrykowski der Jaeger
Summary: 2 Years after the events of "Honestly," Dustin learns we all cope with loss differently and he copes with his own through the power of Lithium...and Love. Book III - Vergehen: to Move On, in the 4V Series: Verlieben, Vermissen, Vergehen, Verbinden.
1. I: Lithium

**Lithium, Chapter I**

_Lithium_

Without a sound, Dustin rolled over, his feet landing smoothly on the cold hard-wood floors. He knew his family was still asleep, and at 4:45, he knew he should still be as well. Yet, things weren't that simple when you worked in an academy that opened at 5. He already knew he was pushing his luck waking up only 15 minutes beforehand, but he didn't really care.

So silently he made his way down the stairs with no attempt to muffle his footsteps; his ninja training made it first nature anyway.

When he wound up in the kitchen, he grabbed a smoothie to go and looked at the container on the table, its ominous presence making it seem so much taller and intimidating than it really was. Dustin knew that in reality it was only about 4 inches tall and a transparent orange color; but it didn't change the fact that its contents always drown him out. At least the "unhappy" parts.

"Dustin?" his dad called out.

He jumped. His guard had been dropped in his pensiveness and he mentally slapped himself for getting caught.

"Hey, morning dad," he greeted.

"Son it's 5 AM…why are you up?"

"Oh, I've got to get to work," he responded with a light smile, about to walk out.

"Did you take your medicine?" asked his dad sternly.

The yellow ninja could feel his heart sink.

"Ah…no, almost forgot," he covered, reaching for the dark shape of a bottle in the dim lighting.

"You can't afford to skip out on even one a day, Dustin," his father lectured.

"Yeah…yeah, I know," he replied, his voice not the perky one many were used to.

"Well, I'll see you when you get home," Mr. Brooks said as he began brewing a pot of coffee.

"Yeah, later," Dustin said, too wrapped up in his thoughts for more words.

"You always so late?" someone else asked him as soon as he was outside.

Dustin whirled around.

There stood Hunter in his Thunder Sensei outfit, a duffle hanging over his shoulder. He looked like he'd been standing there for a while, but his ever-present grin gave way to his nonchalant attitude.

"Hunter! Wow…where'd you come from?" Dustin asked, his shock obvious.

"How about a "Hey, I haven't seen you in forever and I'm really glad you're here?" he shot back, an eyebrow cocked as he walked closer, covering the distance of about 20 feet that stood between the two.

Dropping his duffle bag, he embraced his former teammate with a hug, then tilted his head up to look at him.

"Not here," Dustin whispered, pulling away some.

Hunter looked dejected.

Desperately, Dustin pointed toward his house; "My dad's in there, dude, you know that."

Hunter nodded, "Yeah, sorry."

A silence enveloped them until Hunter cleared his throat and asked; "So what's that?"

Dustin's eyes followed Hunter's index finger to his own hand that held his pills.

"Vitamins," he lied quickly, swallowing them.

"Vitamins?" Hunter questioned.

"Yeah…vitamins," Dustin responded somewhat coldly as he started walking, drinking his smoothie.

Hunter followed.

"Well, how've you been since I've been away?" Hunter asked.

"Managing, I guess. Life has kind of been flying, ya know?" Dustin replied, taking a few more sips of smoothie.

"I hear ya; the only reason I know what the day is today is because I've been—" he stopped short, blushing.

Dustin grinned.

"You've been counting them down, haven't you?"

Hunter chuckled slightly, "Yeah, something like that."

Another awkward silence tried to consume them, but Dustin spoke up.

"I've missed you, man."

Hunter looked to the side, meeting Dustin's eyes; "I've missed you too."

Dustin stopped walking, a streetlight shining right down on him making him look just a little ethereal.

"What's wrong?" Hunter asked.

"My mom died," Dustin replied numbly.

Hunter blinked several times, "Dustin I…I'm so sorry."

But Dustin showed no emotion, he only stood there, looking off into space.

Hunter made a move to hold him, hugging him and saying, "It's gonna be alright man."

Nothing felt off, though. That was Dustin's problem.

"I haven't cried. I just feel…empty," Dustin whispered.

"What do you mean?" Hunter asked.

"The pills I take; Lithium, they make me feel numb…kinda washed out."

Hunter blinked several times again.

"You're on _Lithium_? Who the fuck put you on Lithium?" he asked, his anger hard to conceal.

"My dad."

"Dustin, you don't need Lithium, you need time to grieve!" Hunter half-shouted.

"I dunno…do I act differently?" he asked.

"Well in these past 10 minutes, yeah, you have. But I haven't been around for 2 years," Hunter replied.

The Crimson teacher held Dustin at arm's length, looking him over. His hair was kept short, almost buzzed, which was odd for Dustin. His eyes seemed bright, but upon further investigation looked hollow to an extent. The lines that traced around his delicate eyes made him seem like he was wearing eyeliner or something of the sort.

"We'll get through this, I promise," Hunter said softly.

"I _am _through it…I just don't know why I don't feel anything at all."

Hunter shook his head slightly, cupping Dustin's face in his hands; "First we have to get you off these meds."

Dustin pulled back a little.

"I…I dunno Hunter," he stuttered, "Dad thinks they help."

Hunter looked confused, then he looked angry.

"Dustin, they do _not _help! They bottle up all your emotions until you're just a walking shell. They'll suck the life right out of you, Dustin!" he half-yelled.

"How do you know?!" Dustin shouted back.

"How do I know?" Hunter laughed harshly, "Dustin, they had me 1200 MG of that _shit_. How do I know? Lithium was what I ate, drank, and slept," he said.

Dustin was silent.

"Well…what if I don't _want _to feel the pain of losing her? I don't think I'm strong enough for that," Dustin admitted.

"I know it's hard, believe me, I do. But Dustin, trust me; if you don't live now, by the time her death is old news, you'll regret having never lived."

Dustin sighed.

"You're right…" he said.

Hunter reached for his hand, gripping it firmly but lovingly at the same time.

"I'll help you through it, I promise," Hunter vowed.

Dustin smiled thankfully; "Thank you."

"We'll learn to let the sorrow go," Hunter said, leaning in for a quick kiss as the sun began to peak its head above the surrounding buildings.


	2. II: Like You

**I had every intention of just writing a oneshot because I've always admired how an author can organize their thoughts into one little chapter. However, because of the feedback I've gotten from and other sites, I've decided to draw it out a few more chapters, maybe solve this problem. ANYway, thank you for your reviews and such and I do hope these next few installments don't ruin the story. **

** Lithium, Chapter II**

_ Like You_

Their appearance at the Wind Academy was more than shocking to the other 3 former-ranger-now-sensei. Shane, Tori, and Cam seemed to be in a state of disbelief when they saw their crimson comrade come bounding out of the waterfall with their missing sensei.

"Hunter! Wow, it's great to see you!" Tori greeted, hugging him lightly.

Hunter smiled, returning the embrace; "Good to see you too, Tor."

Shane and Cam shook hands with Hunter in a sort of way to prove hugging was too effeminate for their taste.

"So what brings you back to _our _side of Blue Bay?" Shane teased.

"Well, I haven't been in Blue Bay in a while, actually. I went up north for some physical, mental, and spiritual training to master this new technique Sensei Amino taught me," Hunter explained.

Cam raised an eyebrow; "Are you talking about the—"

"I'd…rather not say," Hunter interrupted him, giving a cautious grin afterwards.

"Well how come you never came to say anything to us?" Tori asked as they all started to walk; Dustin had remained relatively quiet as they covered the campus.

"Well, he thought it'd be best to keep it a secret at the time," Hunter said, a little bashful of the subject, "So that no one would want to come along for 'protection.'"

They all laughed, excluding Dustin, who merely smiled at their laughter. It had been so long since almost all of them had been together, laughing like there was nothing else in the world but them.

"So are you back here for good?" Cam asked.

"Uh…yeah, I start back at the Thunder Academy in about a month; Sensei wanted me to have some time off."

"We all know your idea of time off is riding and training," Tori joked.

More laughter, before questions of recent happenings arose.

"Yeah, Cam and I are engaged," Tori revealed, pulling on said man's arm. "We haven't set a date yet, but we're in no rush," she giggled.

Cam blushed.

Hunter looked incredibly taken aback; he'd always suspected Cam to come out of the closet sooner or later with some of the looks he'd received from the samurai before.

"Dude, congratulations!" Hunter enthused

"And you, Shane?" Hunter asked.

"You know me; I'm too wild for just one girl to handle," Shane bragged, expanding his arms dramatically.

Dustin, Hunter, Tori, and Cam rolled their eyes with small chuckles.

"Did Dustin tell you about Kelly giving him the store?" Tori chimed in, remembering the big event.

"What?!" Hunter asked, his surprise evident.

Dustin smiled meekly, "Yeah, she's moving to Florida; Storm Chargers is going national."

Hunter grabbed him, shaking him almost dizzy; "Dude, that's _great_!"

Tori cocked an eyebrow. Hunter hadn't been that excited upon hearing news of the engagement, but seemed like Dustin had won the Olympics because he'd acquired a store?

"Yeah…really great," Tori replied half-heartedly.

By the time they reached the actual academy, they'd run into Marah and Kapri who quickly told Hunter _all _the latest gossip, including who was dating who and an entire recap of how Cam proposed to Tori, much to their cousin's dismay.

"Sounds like you've all been busy while I was away," Hunter summed up.

"You could say that, Hunter," Sensei replied to him, coming out of the Academy's front door.

Hunter turned towards his old sensei with a smile, bowing traditionally out of respect.

"Hey Sensei," Hunter greeted as he stood upright.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Hunter," Sensei said, returning the bow.

"Oh, oh, sensei, we're ready for our test!" Kapri squealed.

Sensei looked skeptical, then smiled, "Alright girls, follow me."

Sensei bowed again, then bid Hunter and the others farewell as he re-entered the academy, accompanied by giddy Marah and Kapri.

"Yeah, we better be going too; we've got to finalize our lesson plans," Cam spoke up.

Shane and Tori nodded, "You comin' Dustin?"

"Yeah, in a minute guys," he replied as they began to walk away towards the academy doors.

That left Hunter and Dustin alone again.

"Man I miss those guys," Hunter said, breaking the small silence creeping in.

"Yeah, yeah, they're pretty amazing," Dustin said, "You should be around more often."

Hunter sobered up, "Yeah…I know. I haven't talked to Blake in 5 months."

"Whoa…man, 5 months?" Dustin asked, careful not to pry too much.

"Yeah, I didn't know how much time had passed until this week," Hunter replied, now starting to stroll away from the front academy doors where students were beginning to enter.

"Have you really been training that long?" Dustin asked.

"Well, yeah, this technique is near impossible; it was thought to exist only in myths and accomplished by people who were perfectly in tune with their element," Hunter responded.

"You really don't wanna say, do you?" Dustin questioned with a small grin at his secret boyfriend's secrecy.

Hunter was quiet, and then he looked at Dustin—their eyes meeting in some intense emotional meeting. A slight breeze ruffled Hunter's hair, but it didn't distract his soul-filled gaze piercing Dustin's own deep eyes.

"I…I found a way to talk to my parents," Hunter said quietly.

Dustin's eyes flickered a bit before he blinked several times; "You mean…you can talk to…to dead people?"

Hunter nodded, "I want to teach you."

Dustin looked away.

"I just…I want to be with her…"

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes I just wonder if maybe it'd be easier if I was de—" Hunter cut him off.

"Dustin, _no_."

Dustin didn't look back at Hunter, their eyes not meeting; in fact their eyes were more frantically dodging the other pair that neither of them even knew who was looking at who. It was indeed a tense moment that seemed to be interminable until finally, Dustin walked off without a word.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything," Hunter whispered to himself.


	3. III: My Immortal

**Lithium, Chapter III**

_My Immortal _

Cold. That's what he was, cold. Not the refreshing kind of cold one would get during summer, or spring, but the kind of unwelcoming, gripping, and sneaking kind of cold that often wrapped around someone until they were numb.

Shivering slightly and involuntarily, Dustin attempted to pull the covers closer when he noticed a heavy weight holding it back. He pulled harder, not being able to identify this sudden weight. Finally, he turned around and noticed it was indeed a sleeping form. His eyes adjusted, then strained as he tried to remember who could possibly be lying in his bed with a wide back turned to him. Memories flooded back to him.

**«Memories of the Night Before»**

"_I-I'm sorry. I just thought maybe you'd want to learn it, Dustin," Hunter said softly, having found Dustin laying in his room, deep in thought._

"_It's not your fault, I just-I don't want to talk to her, Hunter, I want to __**be**__ with her," replied Dustin, not lifting his head to speak and causing him to sound muffled from the pillow in his face._

"_Well you can't, Dustin; it's not-that easy," Hunter explained, cautiously taking a seat next to his sulking friend._

"_Whatever," Dustin sighed, turning to look the other way._

_Hunter was beginning to annoy him, to be honest. Sure, it helped that he was home. Sure, it helped that he wanted to be a shoulder. And sure, it helped that he was trying to understand. __**But**__, it didn't help that he was constantly trying to get him to come to grips with his emotions all at once. It didn't help that he was practically forcing him to get over his mother's death. And it sure as hell didn't help that Hunter wouldn't leave him __**alone**__._

_Hunter was silent, watching—"almost studying—"Dustin's laying form. Although his younger teammate was being thoroughly difficult, uncharacteristically depressed, and childishly brash, he still captured innocence and purity in their essences. His head was pressed under one pillow while sitting softly on another while his arms were stretched over the top pillow, forming a sort of hollow for his head. In a way, it was like he was trying to shelter himself from the rest of the world._

_Hunter knew that feeling all to well. When he was still grieving—"although he never actually stopped—"he would sometimes put his head under water where no noise could bother him. It was his solitary confinement—"his solitude. He could still remember the day he last did it. _

**«The Confession Memory»**

_**It was shortly after their graduation from the academy, and although the mood was mostly jovial, he knew he was pressed with one confession—"one clenching, fear-striking secret that he just had to get off his chest. And with the proper drinks to loosen him up, some prodding from his adoptive younger brother, he'd mustered up the courage.**_

"_**Hey Dus-Dustin-can I talk to you man?" he asked, his voice ragged with fatigue and a bit of hidden desire.**_

_**Dustin turned his attention to Hunter, the smile still plastered on his face from the dry joke Cam had just finished.**_

"_**Yeah, sure dude," he replied, drinking from his red Silo brand cup.**_

_**Hunter swallowed several times as he walked away towards Tori's front yard. They'd decided to have a going away party for Blake and himself, and Tori's house seemed as good as any, especially since her parents were out of town.**_

"_**What's up, Hunter?" Dustin asked, setting his cup on a porch ledge.**_

_**Hunter swallowed again. His mouth felt like an arid wasteland, or like he'd just swallowed a gallon of peanut butter.**_

"_**I-I've got something I' been wantin' to tell you for awhile," he slurred out.**_

_**Not now he thought to himself, not wanting the alcohol to hit him so hard.**_

"_**Sure," Dustin said, still unaffected by his friend's strange behavior.**_

_**Clearing his throat, Hunter tried again, "I' been thinkin'n'all, ya know, bout leavin' and not seein' people for a long time. So Blake thought it'd be a good idea for me to say so tonight."**_

_**That doesn't sound right Hunter corrected himself in his head. He saw Dustin look at him somewhat funny.**_

"_**Hunter, you don't look like you're feeling too good," Dustin spoke quietly, taking a step closer.**_

"_**No, no, I'm fine. I'm fine. I ju—"I just wanna tell you something" he said again.**_

"_**So tell me, Hunter," Dustin urged, his nonchalant attitude substituted for concern.**_

"_**I'm gettin' there, I'm gettin'' there," Hunter answered, waving his hand at Dustin in a dismissing fashion.**_

_**He took a deep breath, swayed a bit, and then cleared his throat.**_

"_**I like you."**_

_**Dustin rolled his eyes, "Hunter, shut up, that's not funny. We've already talked about this, remember?"**_

_**Hunter took a wavy step forward, "N-no, really, I do."**_

"_**No, you don't, you're drunk."**_

"_**So?"**_

"So_**, I'm not going to listen to you while there are a bunch of drinks talking for you. We both agreed we wouldn't get our emotions involved" Dustin said wisely, attempting to pull Hunter into the house.**_

"_**Nooooooooo," Hunter groaned, pulling away and almost falling on the dew-covered lawn, "Listen to me."**_

"_**NO!" Dustin shouted angrily, "You can't like me. It doesn't happen that way, okay?"**_

_**Hunter looked confused, "W-what?"**_

_**Dustin turned his back to Hunter, pacing up the porch, then grabbing his cup and downing the contents.**_

"_**You wanna know**_ why, _**Hunter? I'll tell you why—"because best friends don't sleep with each other and pretend it never happened. Best friends don't ignore each others feelings and continue to abuse them! And mostly, Hunter, Best friends don't fall in love with each other!**_ _**Especially when they're guys like you and me!"**_

_**Hunter blinked a few times, then he hiccupped.**_

"_**You-love me?"**_

_**Dustin's face contorted into a look of frustration, almost a plea. In a flash of rage, he threw the small red cup towards Hunter.**_

"_**Yes! Okay?! Yes! I fucking love you, you goddamned idiot!" he yelled,**_

_**Hunter swallowed a few times, his sobriety almost within his grasp.**_

"_**I-I never didn't know," he stammered.**_

_**Dustin shook his head, the situation all too incredulous for him...**_

"_**You're so damned drunk," he muttered, "And I just spilled my feelings out to you; but it won't matter because you won't even **_remember_** tomorrow morning."**_

"_**N-no, I'll remember, I promise," Hunter said, giving a haphazard smile.**_

_**He swayed a bit, his eyes bulged a little, and then he finally mumbled out "Oh shit" before whatever was in his stomach came tumbling out. Whatever happened afterward had brought them incredibly close, finally sealing them emotionally together.**_

_How he remembered that night, Hunter didn't know. Maybe it was because Dustin had told him the story several times since it happened; or maybe it was because it was the first time Dustin said he loved him. Whatever it was, he'd never needed to suppress his emotions—he'd never needed his solitude after that. It just seemed like knowing that someone else loved him made everything—"the good and the bad—"seem worth while and appreciative._

"_Dustin-I know I can't ever fill in for your mom, or give you half the things she could, but just know that people do love you. I love you," he whispered._

_And that was all it took for the brunet male to spill his tears. _

**«Present»**  
Dustin rubbed his head, sitting up in the bed. Whatever had happened after his tear-jerker session had obviously ended them up in the same bed. Whatever time that had happened escaped him, and any other activities he may have ventured off to also skittered out of his comprehensive reach.

Then again; maybe that didn't matter. After all, in the quietness of the room, he could hear his own thoughts-for once. And although the room was dark, lit only by the faint, iridescent red glow of his annoying digital clock, there seemed to be a resonating glow emitting from random places in the room. When he unknowingly turned toward Hunter, the light source was obvious; for around him was an unmistakable aura shining brilliantly among all that was dark and imposing in Dustin's room. Maybe having Hunter around really would bring Dustin out of his depression and slowly push the Lithium away. Slowly, but surely.


	4. IV: Imaginary

**Lithium, Chapter IV**

_Imaginary_

"I can fix that," Hunter said from the doorway, absently staring at the tanned back of the male across the room from him who was watching the quiet deluge from his bedroom window.

Dustin blinked.

"What?"

"I can fix that for you," Hunter repeated, bracing his arm on the inner part of the doorframe to Dustin's bathroom.

"Fix what?"

"Your clock," Hunter answered, pointing at the ever-blinking digital object.

"Oh."

He turned back, looking at the rain. It was a beautiful downpour indeed, one of the cleaner rinses he'd seen that year. Normally when it rained, they were often messy and unexpected, or a dry, humid, sticky, and irritating rain. This one was a clear spring shower with crisp droplets that reflected bits of the green leaves beginning to decorate the trees.

"Do you want to maybe do something later on tonight?" Hunter asked, walking nearer the yellow earth ninja.

"Like what?"

"Well, I have to check in with Sensei Amino today at about noon, so I'll probably be over there until 3 or 4. Maybe we could see a movie, grab some dinner or something? I dunno, just spend time together?" Hunter explained, his arms enveloping Dustin's narrow waist.

Dustin leaned his head back to rest on the taller man's shoulders.

"Sounds amazing."

Hunter smirked into the nape of Dustin's neck, "Well I have to shower before I go."

A few moments of silence allowed Dustin to process the statement.

"Oh, right," he chuckled, following Hunter to the bathroom.

_**Where the raindrops, as they're falling, tell a story**_

Dustin awoke to the soft drip drop of the drying rain. Rolling over lazily, he gazed at the now bright room; the sun had arisen, shining sparkling rays of light through his damp window. Lost in his thoughts, he began to ponder a little walk through the fields of the academy. It _had _been a while since he spent time getting in tune with his earthen element. Nice silence with only animals whispering in their own languages; no disturbances from random students and sensei—.

"Dustin," a voice called from outside his bedroom door.

He rolled his eyes. No doubt Tori wanting to go over lesson plans.

"Yeah?" he asked, his voice clouded with the remnants of sleep. He cleared it several times and piped up again; "Yeah?"

The door creaked open, leaving the expected Tori in the doorway.

"Hey, I was just wondering if you were awake. Hunter left a while ago and we didn't know if you were up."

"Yeah, I am, I was just about to go for a run," he lied, standing from his bed.

"Ah…okay. Well Shane and I haven't seen you since class yesterday and we just wanted to make sure we were still on for training tonight."

"Oh…um…" Dustin stalled. How was he supposed to ditch Hunter; or ditch Tori and Shane _for _Hunter?

"What's wrong?"

"Well…I kinda had plans for tonight. Maybe tomorrow?" he asked, not wanting to disappoint.

"Plans? Like, a date or something?" she inquired mischievously, grinning.

Laughing hesitantly, Dustin replied, "Hah…no…not really. Hunter and I were going to hang out."

Tori's face sunk somewhat, like maybe she was suddenly sickened by a thought or two. Her thoughts about Hunter _actually _being attracted to her those years ago were getting more and more pessimistic. The more he was around Dustin, the more she felt both boys slipping from her.

"Uh…Dustin…you and Hunter are…" she paused, looking for the words to address the situation, "You two are…really close, huh?"

Dustin frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"N-nothing, forget it," she said, smiling falsely, "I gotta go. Have fun tonight."

He watched her hurriedly shut his door, and then stood for several minutes before he regained his composure. Did she know? What exactly gave them away? What would she do?

"Damn it…" he sighed, walking out his door towards the academy fields.

_**In my field of paper flowers…**_

Dustin flopped down in a large bed of yellowish flowers, their loose petals swarming around him in a sudden frenzy due to his unusual movement. Through hooded eyes, Dustin faintly watched their rhythmic dance that sort of mimicked a swirling rainstorm. When they landed in the dampness of the remaining droplets of that morning's rain, the water began to permeate the petal, drowning it and eventually—inadvertently—killing it. Or had it already been dead? Dustin closed his eyes completely, basking in the familiarity of the fields; it had been so long since he'd been perfectly in tune with his earthen element and their sudden unity lifted him high above the problems Tori had accidentally created.

Yet, there, in the faintest of whispers, was a woman's voice. It was melodic, almost heavenly and for some strange reason, it seemed entirely too familiar. Through his closed eyes, a light began resonating in the center of his mind, forming a strange shape. As his mind worked furiously to decipher the shape, emotions began bubbling within him as he pondered every possibility. A monster? A messenger? What could it be?

Then, without any warning whatsoever, the melodic sound quickly rose in pitch, becoming a deafening screech that pierced his ears. The light became a blinding sensation that seemed to swallow Dustin whole, encasing his body in a burning sentiment. Unable to restrain his emotions, feelings, or sanity, he let out a cry, then a shout, then an ungodly, painful scream. The pain began racking his body as the flower petals began to dance wildly, now threateningly; the few raindrops sprinkled throughout the field began to rise as well, creating some misshapen form of a petal-made hurricane. Continuing their menacing barrage, the elements around Dustin began slashing at him, the light becoming too unbearable to hold, the petals becoming sharp, razor-like items, and the raindrops becoming hail-like debris. In a growling scream, Dustin tried to get control of the cycling flowers, but his mind could not grasp his sanity or his concentration. Finally, abruptly, everything stopped, and a familiar form stood before him as heavenly sounds filled his now ringing eardrums.

_**Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming…**_

Hunter looked at the ominous academy. Being there after so long seemed strange, to say the least, but at the same time, it felt welcome. Yet there was something not right. Then he noticed it. Too many shadows looming from the trees. Too few birds chirping. He smirked to himself. The school had constructed a welcoming party for him.

Dropping his bag unceremoniously, Hunter cracked his neck a few times, then loosened up.

"Alright, go," he ordered nonchalantly.

A blur of crimson and navy swept past him, seemingly hitting the defenseless man.

But when the ninjas turned to look at what became of their intruder, they were taken aback. There stood Hunter, unfazed by their attacks.

"You guys have _got _to be faster than that," Hunter teased, letting his guard completely drop.

The ninja students glared, then, with a mighty battle cry, they charged him. He easily avoided most of them, and then began fighting the rest. His martial arts skilled were completely unrivaled by the students, and his speed made them dizzy. There were times where they couldn't even see a _blur _of him.

Within seconds, 47 to be exact, the thunder academy ninjas were vanquished.

"You guys've gotta get out more," he joked, brushing off his shoulder.

"Who are you?" a girl asked, fear stricken.

Hunter looked concerned, "Don't be afraid, I'm not here to hurt you…"

The ninjas backed a step away.

"Hunter!" a voice boomed happily.

Hunter diverted his attention the large tree which an old man had just walked through.

"Sensei Amino!"

The two bowed with familiarity.

"It's good to see you, Hunter. I see you have met the future top students of the Thunder Academy," he stated, frowning at their defeated state.

Hunter forced back a cough, "Top?"

Sensei Amino cleared his throat, directing Hunter towards the entry to the academy.

"Come, we have other matters to speak of."

Through the hours Sensei spoke, Hunter tried to be respectful, but his thoughts kept drifting to Dustin. The way he opened up, the way he finally smiled, the way he felt, and smelled, and—

"Hunter?" Sensei Amino questioned again.

"Yes Sensei?"

"I can see your mind is currently elsewhere, as you must have much to catch up on. I will not hold you any longer—just please remember to keep up your training."

Hunter smiled, "Thank you sensei—I will."

He stood and bowed respectfully, then began his walk back to the Wind Academy. He took the precious time to maybe reflect on what had been going on. Tori's sudden engagement to Cam had thrown Hunter for a loop, especially because she'd had such strong feelings for him at one time. Now, suddenly, she was marrying herself to the one guy on the team Hunter would have pinned as gay.

Sure, Hunter liked Cam, he was a pretty cool guy when he wasn't snapping at you for your inferiority. But there were times where it seemed Cam was itching to get something off his chest to Hunter—still, since none of the other rangers knew of his relationship with Dustin, Hunter was seen as still available. So why hadn't came made his move? Either way, he supposed Cam moving on with Tori—of all people—would help smooth the atmosphere for when he and Dustin went public.

Hunter shook his head wearily, his hair moving from in front of his eyes as he gazed upon the late afternoon sun. He'd been gone for a while and he needed to get back to Dustin so they could leave for their dinner. Spending time together after such a long period of time, and after such an emotional night before would really help patch things up. At least he thought they would.

_**The Goddess of imaginary light…**_

"Hey," she spoke softly with her kind demeanor glowing from her radiant cheeks.

Dustin's misty eyes looked upon her in all her glory. A white gown was draped over her slender frame and her dark brown hair hung loose over her shoulders in wavy bunches.

"M-mom…" he breathed slowly, trying to catch his breath and senses.

"Dustin," she said soothingly, touching his cheek with her delicate hand, "It's time for you to let me go."

He looked away, swallowing whatever it was preventing him from speaking.

"Mom, I can't do this. It's too hard and it's too much at once. And these pills—oh God—these pills are awful. One minute I hate them, the next minute I love them. I can't decide. I want you to be here, or for me to be there. I want this to all be okay again."

He could sense the instability in his own voice and he could hear the whining desperateness that was echoing from his drying throat.

"Dustin, you've got to learn to accept life and move on. You can't live your life worrying about the end of mine! I'm fine. I lived my life and you made it purposeful. You've got that great guy to be incredibly thankful for—you owe it to him to at least _try _to get better."

Dustin blushed. Maybe heaven really did exist and she really _could _see everything.

"But I miss you so much…"

"And I miss you too, sweetie, but in the meantime, you've got to get on with your life. Trust me. When you come to see me here I want to hear about how fun your life was, not how you spent it mourning me! Now go, before I make you."

He looked at her again, smiling largely. How could a dead woman have so much energy? How could she be so happy? She hadn't changed, still laughing, joking, and always supporting him.

He wiped the few tears from his eyes as he took a step closer to her.

"I love you, mom," he said, hugging her.

She hugged back, "I love you the most, babe. Now make me proud. And remember," she began walking away backwards, "I'm always here. Always."

_**I lie inside myself for hours...**_

Dustin opened his eyes, birds chirping and flower petals still sprinkling around him. Had he dreamed it? Or had he actually spoken to his mom?

"Hey you!" Hunter greeted cheerily, lying down next to his dazed boyfriend.

"I talked to her," Dustin said half to himself.

"What?"

"My mom, I talked to her," Dustin said, a smile coming over his face.

Hunter looked taken aback. Had Dustin really mastered the skill so quickly, or did the Lithium maybe increase Dustin's intonation with nature? Either way, Dustin had obviously surpassed Hunter's training and was easily able to contact his mother.

"And?"

"And I think everything's gonna be okay."

They smiled at each other before Hunter stood up, offering a hand to Dustin.

"C'mon, let's talk about it while we get ready for our date."

"Oh, that reminds me," Dustin said as he stood, "My mom approves."


	5. V: Good Enough

**Lithium, Chapter V**

_Good Enough_

Laughing hysterically, he squeezed the hand belonging to the man next to him. Never before had he thought smiling and laughing could feel so good. It was almost like he'd traveled through time—like he'd left Blue Bay behind.

"That guy looks like an anorexic Choobo," Hunter whispered hoarsely.

Another burst of laughter came from Dustin, the glowing movie lighting up his once depressed brown eyes.

"It's good to hear you laugh again, Dustin."

Hunter's voice was soft and reminiscent—almost tangibly vulnerable.

Dustin's laugh receded but his smile remained as he gazed towards Hunter's glimmering ice-chip eyes.

"Thanks for getting me there…"

A moment of silence consumed them before the movie interrupted them with the screeching of tires.

Their hand-holding resumed in the crowded, dark theater, but neither of them minded.

As credits began to roll, the two young men stood, stretching and talking through strained muscles.

"You hungry yet?" Hunter asked, unsuccessfully stifling a yawn.

Dustin observed Hunter for a few seconds, smiling on the inside at the simple beauty Hunter portrayed.

"Yes," he said with a tone of finality.

Smirking and giving his dark-haired counterpart a confused glance, Hunter walked towards him and the exit.

"Where to?"

"Anywhere."

Undecidedly, they exited the theater, wandering aimlessly toward the main street; neither of them had bothered to drive as ninja streaking made everything much easier.

Hunter's smirk, masked by darkness, was suddenly set ablaze by headlights in their faces.

"Hey you two!" Shane hollered through the open side window.

Dustin and Hunter fought back smiles.

"Do we know you?" Hunter questioned sincerely.

Tori mocked a smile, "Real funny."

"Get in; we're going to meet Blake for dinner!" Cam shouted happily, acting uncharacteristically boisterous.

"Blake's in town? Since when?" Hunter demanded, jumping into Tori's huge van with Dustin following.

"His factory tour's coming to a close in Baja, so he figured he'd stop by beforehand," Shane explained. "Maybe we can go see his final race?"

Dustin and Hunter exchanged looks, and then expressed their responses affirmatively.

"Sweet; I'm sure Blake'll be stoked," Shane said as the radio took over the van.

Ten minutes later and the only words exchanged were silent, event-filled whispers between Hunter and Dustin in the back, leaving the rest of the van baffled as to what was being said.

"Here we are," Tori announced, breaking the awkward silence that had settled among the teammates.

With smiles plastered to their radiant faces, Hunter and Dustin boyishly jumped from the van, whooping and bouncing.

Tori glanced at Cam, "Any idea what's with those two?"

Cam bit his tongue. He had an idea. He had several, to be honest; the hardest part about having the ideas was accepting them…

"You guys came!"

Hunter looked up to see his shaggy-haired brother coming out of the upscale restaurant. He was dressed down in a casual, midnight blue long-sleeved polo and a pair of khaki slacks. Compared to Hunter and Dustin's non-formal wear, he looked rather…business-like. Tori, Cam, and Shane had all prepared for the event ahead of time. Shimmering in an aqua marine summer dress with her wavy, glossy hair, Tori hugged her ex-boyfriend with familiarity and good humor.

Shane shook hands with Blake, exchanging a side-hug and careful not to wrinkle his freshly ironed red dress shirt. His black, crease-free jeans hung loosely around his feet as he was careful to avoid the puddle waiting to sabotage him.

Next up, Cam greeted Blake warmly with a head nod and hand shake. His stature was a bit off-handed, his white-and-green striped polo contrasted against Blake's navy in an almost violent manner—however their khaki's, identical as they were—seemed to get along quite nicely.

"Sorry we forgot to dress up, bro," Hunter said, squeezing the air from his little thunder brother.

"Not really a problem," Blake replied, looking Hunter up and down.

He wasn't necessarily dressed down, although he and Dustin were the only ones wearing blue jeans. In fact, he and Dustin were almost identical if it hadn't been for the colors. They both wore thick striped polo shirts with their respective colors—crimson and yellow—and slightly torn, faded blue jeans.

"Blaaaaaaake," Dustin greeted, dragging out the male's name, "Good to see you dude."

"Likewise, man," Blake agreed, side-hugging his moto-friend somewhat awkwardly.

"So, who's hungry?" Hunter asked quickly.

For the first time in a while, all six answered in unison.

Entering the restaurant as quietly as six, young, estranged teammates could, they took their reserved seats and immediately began reviewing the menus, talking casually as they did so.

"And what've you been up to that kept you from keeping in touch?" Blake finally inquired his older brother.

Hunter exchanged looks with his boyfriend before swallowing a sip of water.

"Well," he began, "Sensei Amino wanted me to learn this new technique; so, he got a fill-in for me and sent me off to train in the mountains. It's an extremely difficult technique, but it's probably the most useful I've ever learned. The only downside is that it takes _months _to master," He spared Dustin a look, then corrected himself, "At least for me it did."

The table was quiet.

"So…what was the technique?" Blake asked as if his question was obvious.

Another sip of water as the flickering candle placed shadows across his face, Hunter composed himself.

"It…allows me to talk to dead ninjas," he spoke softly.

Again, silence. Dustin fidgeted a bit, and then looked at the expression on each person's face. Tori was focused on Blake, who looked like he'd been punched in the stomach. Shane's eyes were glued to Hunter, a look of complete and total shock stamped on his face. Cam nodded to himself as if he'd always known, and Hunter looked expectant.

"You…you talked to mom and dad?" Blake choked out.

He nodded.

"And?"

"They're good."

Blake sat back, folding his arms in deep thought.

"You never told anyone?"

"Not until recently."

"What do you mean recently?"

"He…he told me," Dustin chimed in.

The table turned their eyes Dustin, a look of curiosity shining through their eyes.

"I guess I have some explaining to do," Dustin sighed.

Hunter, who was at his side, gripped his hand supportively. He knew what Dustin was about to reveal and however that night turned out they were going to walk out together—with or without their friends.

"After my mom died last year, my dad and I were completely shot down. Neither of us knew up from down. So, we started seeing separate psychiatrists—I never wanted to, but he thought it'd be good for me. He put me on Lithium. And…I've never told anyone—I've always kinda been ashamed, ya know? Anyway…I, it was hard for me to cope. And then I started taking them and they helped at first—I didn't feel the pain, the grief, I didn't have the nightmares—it was almost like I was numb to reality."

"So what's the problem with that?" Shane interrupted.

"Well, when you're numb, you can't feel pain, but you can't feel pleasure either, Shane."

The red ranger quieted.

"So, up until recently, I've been taking 900 milligrams every day to help me get through it, although I've never really let go…let _her _go," another pause, "But earlier today, in the academy fields, I talked to her. It was so weird. It was like I felt the divine wraths of heaven all at once, then they all went away and she was there."

"What'd she say?" Tori eagerly grilled him.

"That I need to let go, and just live…" he sighed, "And that I shouldn't be worried about life and that I should enjoy it."

The table paused with him.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Blake said happily, "That's why we're all here; to enjoy life—in all its little quirks and all its big schemes."

"We should all be a little more open with each other and just not be afraid of what _might _happen," Tori chimed in.

Cam and Shane nodded.

"You're right, Tor," Dustin commented, gripping Hunter's hand even tighter, "And that's why Hunter and I have something we need to say."

Confusion crossed Blake and Shane's faces, but Tori and Cam looked anxious, almost as if they'd been waiting on edge for verification.

"What's up guys?"

Hunter looked at Shane, analyzing his question; his attitude seemed to be carefree and casual…which worried him.

"We, ah…we're…sort've…together," Hunter said quietly.

Blake blinked as eternal silence blanketed the table. No gasp, no widened eyes, not whispering—nothing. Creeping into his mind, all sorts of horrible scenarios played throughout Hunter's crammed mind. Finally, the silence was broken as Shane asked, dumfounded:

"What do you mean?"

Dustin sucked in a breath, and then pulled his hand, along with his own, to the top of the table. There, like some sort of exposed, dissected creature, their entwined fingers lay open—exposed—to the outside world, ready for criticism.

"Oh," Shane said shortly.

Cam removed his glasses, shining them quietly.

"Well, I can't say it wasn't expected," he said pointedly.

Dustin cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, with the way you two were going on, it'd have been hard _not _to find out."

Hunter chuckled slightly at Cam's remark.

"Yeah…I mean…I guess this explains a lot," Tori added.

Hunter looked at her and instantly he could see the pain in her eyes—her expression held so much emotion and hurt, like she'd been betrayed and stabbed through her heart.

"I…I'm sorry we didn't say anything before."

"How long has this been going on?" Shane asked, interested as he sipped his water.

"Um…well I've been away, but I guess we just…I dunno, started? Around the time I left for the Thunder Academy."

Tori bit her tongue, begging the tears not to fall. She'd trusted him with everything, with _herself_ and somehow, some evil way, it wasn't good enough. _She _wasn't good enough. Hesitantly, she smiled at Dustin.

"You never told me?" Blake asked in an incredulous voice.

Hunter tried to read the tone, but he couldn't place anger or disgust anywhere in it—nor could he place acceptance and love.

"N-no…I didn't. I'd never really been _sure _of anything. Those six months let me reflect on a lot more than just my training."

"But I'm your brother, Hunter."

"I know…and I'm sorry."

"We both are," Dustin inserted quickly.

"Well why are we all so bummed out? I mean, what's so bad about this?" Shane asked, patting the two nearest people—Cam and Blake—on the shoulders.

"Shane's right," Cam said, "We should be happy for them."

Dustin and Hunter smiled greatly at the kindness of their friends. Somehow, in all the doubt that had shrouded both of their minds, hope began to burn through—at first lightly, then gracefully and blindingly.

"You're right," Blake said, shaking his head, "Whoever you're with is cool with me, as long as you're happy."

Hunter couldn't really believe his ears. Such good things didn't just come without a price. Then he remembered Tori. As if expecting his look, Tori piped up.

"Yeah, definitely, I'm happy for…the both of you."

Finally, happiness had settled in and no matter what anyone else said—no matter what anyone else did—they were happy. It may not have been an eternal happiness, but at that time, happy was good enough. It was good enough to be with friends, it was good enough to love, and it was definitely good enough live—without the help of any numbing pills, because in the end, the best form of medication—is love.


End file.
